


Sunny Days

by queencuppycake



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-15 21:31:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3462773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queencuppycake/pseuds/queencuppycake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of fluffy one-shots starring Takao Kazunari x Reader, depicting various stages of their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my Takao Kazunari x Reader one-shot series!! Since English is not my native tongue, I apologize for any grammar and spelling errors, awkward syntax or phrasing.
> 
> I actually wrote the first part of the series back in June/July 2014, but since I'm fed up with the website I originally posted it to, here it is now, nine months later.
> 
>  _Kuroko no Basuke_ and all of its characters are created by and belong to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

You stuffed the last piece of sandwich into your mouth and glanced down at your watch. Five more minutes. OK. You could still do it. You knew you were in the right building, now you only had to make the impossible possible by finding the right staircase and the right classroom before the bell rang. You could do it! You _could_ do it! You were repeating the words in your head again and again. Like a mantra. Or a spell which would magically open a portal in front of you and transport you right in front of the door you should have walked through at least ten minutes ago.  
  
Ugh! Why did you have to oversleep on your very first day of university? Talk about making the worst first impression ever. But it wasn't your fault you'd overslept. Not at all. You were blaming it all on your best friend who had insisted on celebrating the last day of vacation with two bottles of plum wine and a Hayao Miyazaki movie marathon. So it was absolutely her fault you hadn't heard your alarm clock go off this morning. And it was also her fault your head felt as though it was going to split in two any minute now. Note to self: never again drink any form of alcohol when there are classes in the morning.  
  
You took another anxious glance at your watch. Two minutes left. You could do it! You could do it! You mentally cheered yourself on as you took the steps of the staircase two at a time. When you finally reached the end of them you pulled your elbows close to your sides, getting ready for the home stretch. At least that was what you assumed. The classroom had to be close. You could sense it. Practically smell it. Your soles pressed firmly into the ground for the friction of a moment before you started dashing forward, quickly scanning the signs to your left and right before you finally came to a halt in front of a heavy-looking wooden door. A triumphant smile stole on your features as you reached out your hand and swung open the door in one swift motion, knowing you should be just in time...and froze. As the actually anything but heavy door slammed into the wall with a loud crash, you found yourself staring directly into the inquiring eyes of a middle-aged graying man who was holding a pen and a sheet of paper in his hand, which – you were sure of – was the attendance list.  
  
Oh God. Oh Godohgodohgod. You felt your face burning up as you tried to stutter out a lame excuse, but he simple lifted an eyebrow and cluck his tongue condescendingly. Once. Loudly. How much worse could your day get when it had barely even started?  
  
Your question was answered in the form of a high-pitched “Watch out!“ and a thrusting sensation that propelled you further into the room, almost landing face-first on the ground hadn't a hand wrapped firmly around your wrist in the very last moment and pulled you back up into a standing position. Everything happened so fast that when you let out the breath you hadn't realized you were holding in and the world around you shifted back into focus, you were genuinely surprised you hadn't died of embarrassment yet.  
  
“My, what a magnificent entrance,“ the professor said dryly and was rewarded by loud snickering from the seated students.  
  
You bowed down your head in the vain attempt to hide your blush and be polite at the same time, mumbling an apology as you heard a voice behind you chirp happily: “I gave it my all, Sir!“  
  
Your eyes widened in shock at the mocking tone which layered the voice and you whipped around sharply, for the first time getting a look at the face belonging to the hand that was still wrapped around your wrist. Okay, wow. This guy was _huge_! And it didn't even have anything to do with the fact that you were more on the small side. Seriously, he must have been at least 180cm tall*. But that wasn't what unsettled you about his appearance. It was the cheeky little grin on his lips and the amused glint in his silvery blue eyes which were directed at the professor. He was fucking challenging him. Was this guy insane?  
  
He definitely was, because when the professor asked for his name in a steely voice, every hint of mockery or even slight amusement gone, the boy behind you nonchalantly answered: “Takao Kazunari's the name, Sir.“  
  
“Mr. Takao. Thank you very much for your contribution to today's class. Now, if you and Miss...“ His eyes flickered to you and immediately you froze in place, stammering out your name, “Well, now if you and Miss (L/N) would be so kind as to close the door behind you as you leave. I would be very delighted to continue my lesson without any further interruptions.“  
  
Ohgodohgodohgod. At this very moment, you thought you were going to do die of embarrassment for real. Your face was practically on fire by now. This really was the worst day ever. And no end seemed to be in sight as Takao responded with a cheerful: “Aye, aye!“  
  
Burying your face in your hand, you didn't even try to put up any resistance as he pulled you out of the classroom by your wrist and closed the door deliberately slowly and silently. Your face was still hidden in your free hand as Takao dragged you along to wherever he intended to go, a skip in his step and a low hum on his lips. As the two of you rounded a corner, he finally let go of your arm. He let out a choking sound, somewhere between an exhalation and a snort of laughter and through your index- and my middle-finger you warily peeked up at him. By now, he was holding his belly, laughing loudly and heartily. Was this guy for real? You wanted to scream at him. Tell him what a massive idiot he was for getting into the professor's face, but as you watched him having one laughing fit after the other, first a little giggle escaped your lips and before long, you couldn't help but to fully join in.  
  
His voice was still a little bit shaky from all his laughing a few minutes later as he looked at you and said: “Well, I guess we'll have to wait for the next class to start. Since we've got tons of time on our hands now, why don't we go and grab breakfast together, (F/N)-chan? My treat.“  
  
***  
  
* I do realize that in the _Kuroko no Basuke_ series, Takao is supposed to be 176cm tall. However, since he is slightly older at the beginning of this story, I am sure that he must have grown at least a few more centimeters before entering university.


	2. First Date

You quickly sneaked a glance of your own reflection in the shop window to your right, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Pretending to look at the mannequins showcasing the newest up-to-date fashion available in the store, your eyes wandered slowly over your own silhouette. Your hair had been a bit disheveled by the soft breeze of that lazy summer morning, but all in all it still looked fine. And so did the dress you had carefully chosen for today three days ago. Its fabric had become just a tiny bit wrinkly at the back where you had sat on it in the train, but apart from this, there really was nothing you needed to worry about. It was just a shame you couldn't see your face properly. You had, after all, spent two hours in the bathroom this morning, carefully applying makeup, just to make it seem as though you hadn't put in much effort at all. Going for a natural look and all this. That's what boys were supposed to like after all, right?  
  
When you realized your intended short glance had turned into a blatant scrutinizing stare, you quickly turned around again and startled nestling with the zipper of your purse, hoping your foundation would do its trick and cover up the blush you could feel spreading on your cheeks. While your fidgety hands were still busying themselves with the zipper, you suddenly felt a vibration shake the purse. Inhaling sharply, you violently ripped open the bag and pulled out your cellphone. As you swiped over the screen to read the mail you had just received, your fingers left a slightly sweaty film on it.  
  
 _There in two!! o(^▽^)o_  
  
Immediately, you felt your heartbeat quicken and your fingers starting to tremble. Your eyes were practically glued on the letters above the text, spelling “Takao Kazunari” for moments that felt like hours. There in two. In two. Two... Fuck! He'd be there in a mere two minutes.  
  
Quickly, you spun around again, once more checking your appearance in the shop window, this time not even remotely caring if anybody noticed you doing so. Because, frankly, you were about to go bananas. While you tried your best to wipe your damp palms dry on the hem of your dress, your teeth were gnawing harshly on your bottom lip and your eyes were once more roaming over your shaky form. Shit, you had to calm down. It was just a date after all, right? Right? Right! Exactly, it was a _date_ , and that was the very cause for your near nervous breakdown right here, right now. You were going on a date with Takao Kazunari. The boy who had nearly knocked you over and had you thrown out of class on your very first day of university two months ago. And, strange as it sounded, this event had been the best thing to happen to you in a long, in a very long time. Because even though you were still not exactly on good terms with Professor Yamaguchi, the incident had led to the immediate bonding of you and Takao. In the past couple months, you two had grown extremely close and as a result, had been spending a lot of time together.  
  
So considering this, there was absolutely no rational reason for you to be nervous _now_. Except there was. Because while the two of you had been hanging out regularly, you had never exactly been alone. Takao, and therefore you as well, was constantly accompanied by his best friend, Midorima Shintarou. It was almost as though the two guys were glued together by the hips. Between classes, they would always be seen sneaking in a little chat before parting ways again, and after classes they were either giving their all at practice, having it made into the first string of the university's basketball team right away, or spending their leisure time together in some other way, usually inviting you to join them. And you did enjoy every single minute you spent with the two guys. Really. It wasn't that you minded being part of a trio at all, and despite initial complications with Midorima's attitude you had actually become very fond of the former _Generation of Miracles_ member. Behind his often stoic and cold demeanor, he was in reality but a dorky, loveable big baby. So it really wasn't that you didn't like spending time with the two of them or anything. It was just that every once in a while you would have loved to spend a little time alone with Takao. Just the two of you. Because while you had become fond of Midorima, you had become more than fond of Takao. Much, much more. Which was the reason you did feel nervous right now despite hanging out with him on a near-daily basis. Because it usually was _us three_.  
  
Just then, a sudden fear surged through your body, turning your hands into a clammy, shaking mess. Your eyes darted back to the cellphone's screen to reread the message Takao had sent you a minute ago. _There in two_. Did it really mean “I'll be there in two minutes”, or could it also be read as “we'll be there in two minutes”? Was there really the possibility of him bringing Midorima along today? And if so, what would that mean? Wouldn't that indicate that he had no interest in you as something more than a friend whatsoever? Wouldn't it take away pretty much every chance of him seeing you as...  
  
Your frantic thoughts were interrupted by a loud, cheerful voice calling your name. This was it. The moment of truth. Now you'd find out whether or not Takao deemed you worthy enough to spend some alone time with. You tried to take a last deep breath, but ended up choking out a pathetic cough. Trying to suppress the fleeting feeling of embarrassment, you spun around swiftly. No need to procrastinate the whole thing for some last moments of blessed ignorance. Whether you liked it or not, the truth would be slapped into your face any second now anyway. So why not face it head-on?  
  
As your eyes scanned the crowd streaming out of the station and dispersing into every direction, you anxiously clutched your cellphone to your chest. There. There was the familiar face you had been waiting for, the usual bright smile chiseled on its features. Takao had his hands stretched out far above him, waving at you excitedly, almost frantically. When you had made sure there really was no familiar green-head close by, you let a shaky breath escape your lips, the corners of which slowly turned upwards into a coy little smile.  
  
“(F/N)-chan,” Takao exclaimed one more time as he skidded to a halt directly in front of you, grabbing his knees and gasping for air, while the dashing smile never completely left his features. His blue eyes almost shimmered silver in the bright sunlight and you couldn't help but fully return his excited, contagious smile.  
  
“I hope you didn't wait long,” he said, running his fingers through the dark strands of his hair, “I'm sorry I missed the first train. I had to run back home from the station, because I left my cellphone on the counter.”  
  
“Ah, don't worry about it,” you began, deciding not to mention you had been at your meeting point half an hour before the arranged time anyway, so waiting ten more minutes hadn't actually mattered at all, “I'm happy enough you came in the first place.”  
  
Upon hearing your words, Takao slightly furrowed his eyebrows. He cocked his head to the side to look at you intently. You could feel your heartbeat quicken, pounding all the way up into your throat, and, feeling sheepish under his scrutinizing gaze, you started fumbling with the zipper of your purse again. When he suddenly reached out and grabbed one of your hands in his, your fingers instantly stilled and your heartbeat soared into a frenzy, making you hold your breath as you tried to return his gaze without letting your eyes shift from the left to the right restlessly.  
  
“Did you really think I'd miss out on the chance of spending time with you?”  
  
The earnest tone in his voice caught you completely off guard. You could feel the heat rising to your cheeks and once again, you were more than relieved you had decided to put on makeup this morning. Your face was practically smoldering, and the longer you gazed into his eyes, the more your legs felt like noodles, ready to give out underneath you any minute now. How did he do it? How was it even possible that one person could make you feel like a giddy high schooler on her very first date all over again? Particularly a person you should actually be used to hanging out with by now?  
  
You opened and closed your mouth repeatedly, trying to stammer out a witty response in order to not look like a complete idiot, but failing miserably. Before you let words tumble out from between your lips you'd rather keep to yourself, you decided it was probably a good idea to simply hold your tongue and instead stare at him with slightly widened eyes, lips firmly pressed together.  
  
Having carefully watched your changing expressions, Takao suddenly burst out laughing and brought his free hand to your face to prod your cheek affectionately.  
  
“Come on, (F/N)-chan. What are you getting so nervous for? It's only a date~”, he remarked with a huge grin on his face while bringing up his hand from your cheek to gently flick your forehead.  
  
You, however, were unable to do anything but keep staring wide-eyed at the boy in front of you. Only a date? This was _only a date_? How could he so nonchalantly say such a thing while you were on the verge of a nervous breakdown from all the pent up tension? You've spent enough time with him to know he didn't just go on _only dates_. In fact, he hadn't been on a single date since you've met him, so how could he just laugh it off so easily?  
  
You weren't able to keep on mulling over this any further, however, because Takao had already started chirping away merrily, talking about his apparently rather eventful train ride while trying to pull you in the direction of the city center, away from the spot you seemed to be glued on. This was, however, harder than expected, because you were still struggling to regain control over both your limbs and your senses again. Not that Takao really cared. When you still didn't budge after another pull, he shifted his hand from engulfing the entirety of your palm to interlocking his fingers with yours. You could feel them twitching, but finally managed to jolt out of your stupor. He studied your face for a moment and when he seemed content with the sheepish, yet happy, smile you sported, he gave your arm another gentle tug. This time, you complied and tagged along on wobbly legs, unable to pry your eyes away from the hands which connected you to one another.


	3. First Kiss

“Stop fidgeting already!”

The harsh tone made you flinch and you sheepishly peeked to your right. A pair of intense, green eyes stared right into your own (eye color) orbs and you couldn't help feeling like a child being scolded by her mother for stealing from the cookie jar as you ducked your head and slightly pushed out your bottom lip. Midorima let a small sigh escape his lips, uncrossed his arms and, using his middle finger, pushed back his glasses until they were once again pressed firmly against the bridge of his nose.

In a less gruff tone he said: “He was away for merely five days. So there is no reason for you to be nervous.”

“That's easy for you to say,” you shot back, your voice not only louder, but also much whinier than intended. Not that you really cared. You did feel jittery, and you did feel whiny. And also annoyed. Annoyed by his stupid demeanor and his stupid side glance and his stupid reasoning. What did that big idiot know about the way you felt anyway? Exactly. Nothing. After all, it wasn't him, but you who had been going on countless dates with your crush of almost half a year, which instead of clarifying the whole situation between the two of you had left you even more confused. So, as far as you were concerned, you had every right to feel the way you did.

As if to underline the conclusion to your little interior monologue, you forcefully added: “You just don't understand.”

Midorima blinked a few times, his gaze fixed on your face, as if to make sense of your words, and finally, in a matter-of-fact voice stated: “I guess you're right, I really don't understand your current behavior. Neither why you asked me to accompany you to the train station to pick him up, nor why you wanted to come here in the first place. That's usually something the family, or a girlfriend does, isn't it? And you are neither.”

His words hit you like a slap in the face. Hard. Unconsciously, you took a step back, as if to physically evade the things he had just said. All of a sudden, your temples started pulsing unpleasantly and you felt as though a knife had been rammed into your stomach and was now being twisted slowly, ever so slowly inside of you, making you gasp out violently. You could practically feel that imaginary knife being thrusted up and out with a brutal rip, leaving you with a horrible sinking feeling as your former excitement slowly bled out of you. OK, well. Even you had to admit this image may be a just a tiny bit overdramatic, but... really? Did he really have to say these things? What was Midorima thinking? Didn't he have any sense of decency? At all?

You inhaled sharply, preparing yourself to throw every spiteful word you could think of his way and let a hailstorm of them explode in his stupid face. Like a cannonball hitting its aim with the sheer force of your anger. But instead you simply shouted: “Thank you for stating the obvious, you insensitive idiot!”

The sentence tumbled out of your mouth hysterically, almost unintelligibly, ending on a pathetic sob.

You could feel your lips starting to tremble violently and before you knew it, tears had already started forming in your eyes, blurring the boy in front of you into an arbitrary blob of green and gray as you swallowed hard to fight back the lump that was rapidly growing in your throat. You didn't even care that several people eyed you uneasily while others started whispering and shaking their heads at you two, probably believing you to be a quarreling couple and anticipating a public fight. But to be honest, right now, you couldn't care less what others were thinking. The initial surge of anger towards Midorima had ebbed away completely and left you with nothing but a crushing mixture of anxiety, sadness and helplessness. You felt kind of...defeated, really.

When you felt the first tears fall from your eyes and making their way down your heated cheeks, your vision slowly shifted back into focus, Midorima no longer being an unclear silhouette in front of you. And now that you could get a clear view of his face again, you almost let out a roar of laughter. Almost. If it weren't for that horrible sinking feeling that still held you in a firm, relentless grip. The boy in front of you was a hectic, flustered mess. His eyes shifted restlessly from the right to the left and then back to your face. Right and left. Back to your face. Simultaneously, he tried his best to both calm you down by repeatedly opening and closing his outstretched hands, unsure of what exactly to do with them, and by begging you in a distressed voice to stop crying.

But even though he looked ridiculous and you would've loved nothing more than to explode with laughter, you weren't able to. Under different circumstances you would've laughed in his face so hard you probably would've ended up with a bellyache. But right now you couldn't. Because even though you hated admitting it, he was absolutely right. His remark had hit the bull's eye. _And you are neither_. Exactly. You weren't. Neither family nor his girlfriend. But you wanted to be. By now, you were completely head-over-heels for Takao and the fact that he made you feel as though you were his girlfriend didn't help the situation either. It was all just confusing. So very, very confusing.

The first time you two had gone on an actual date had been in early June. It was late September now. And while he had never actually referred to you as his girlfriend or flat-out told you that he liked you it was so obvious that he did it almost hurt. So what was holding him back from uttering the words you so desperately wanted to hear? Why was he continuously sending you those sweet little messages in the morning, right before he went to bed, between classes, in classes? Why could he ask you out on so many dates that by now you could not only start an infantry from all the plushies he had won for you at crane machines, but also decorate every single wall in your dorm room with the tickets to zoos, the movies, amusement parks and with the silly purikura pictures you had taken together? Why could he do all of this but not clarify the situation between the two of you? Why was he forever holding your hand and throwing his arm over your shoulder so naturally, but had not once tried to kiss you? Admittedly, you were rather new to the whole dating business since in high school you had spent most of your energy on your education and on your friends. So you weren't really all that knowledgeable about how to go about starting a relationship. But still you were pretty sure it did include something like a confession. Be it with words or a gesture. Clear words, or a clear gesture. But not...not...this. Because frankly, it was frustrating. And exhausting. And nerve-wrecking. But that was not even the worst of it. It made you insecure. So very afraid you somehow weren't good enough for him. Because why else would he spend all this time alone with you yet never try and actually _do_ something with you?

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sudden crackling of the speakers above your head which gave you a good start and had your heart fluttering frenziedly. Your wild gaze found Midorima who was eying you warily, probably too afraid that he was still walking on shaky ground to say even a single word.

His cheeks were tinted in a pale shade of pink, most likely as a result of the commotion he had helped causing just a few minutes ago, but overall, he seemed to have settled down again. Presumably because you had actually stopped crying while being lost in your thoughts.

Your lips were still slightly pursed as you used a handkerchief to dab dry the last few damp spots on your cheeks, but you jumped again when the speakers crackled back into action, this time announcing the arrival of the nine o'clock train from Nagoya.

All of a sudden, the words Midorima had said to you earlier came back to you to hit you twice as hard as before. What if you were completely unwanted? What if Takao saw you as a nuisance? What if he thought you were some creepy stalker girl who was so infatuated with him she'd even begrudge him some precious time with his family? What had you been thinking? Waiting for him at the train station like some lovesick puppy, and expecting him to be happy to see you?

Now that you really thought about it and let Midorima's words echo in your ears again and again, you suddenly realized this whole thing really was preposterous. Yes, Midorima was right. Completely right. You were not Takao's girlfriend and waiting for him at the train station after a mere five-day visit to his grandparents' house was so idiotic, had such a desperate air about it. A pathetic little laugh bubbled out of your mouth and you sharply whipped around to grab the gray fabric of Midorima's shirt. Your eyes bored into his as you pulled him down slightly in order to not strain your neck too much.

“You were right,” you cried out, your fingers clutching his shirt in a vice-like grip, “this really was a bad idea.”

You looked over to the further end of the platform and after making sure the train had not yet reached it, you focused your attention back on Midorima who was staring at your hands which still did not budge even the slightest bit. His gaze slowly wandered back to your features and upon seeing the crazed look in your eyes, he gave a little start.

“It's fine though. It's not too late. I'll just go home and we'll both pretend this never happened. It'll be fine if it's just his best friend waiting for him, right?”

Your voice was frantic by now, your eyes repeatedly darting back from the end of the platform to the boy in front of you. When he still didn't reply, but only stared at you as though you've lost your mind completely now, you nodded your head firmly, reassuring yourself you had made the right decision and slowly let go of his shirt. Awkwardly smoothing down the wrinkly spot with two little pats, you gave a nervous little laugh before turning on your heels to make a dash for the exit.

However, you didn't get very far. Before even taking a second step, a hand took hold of your shirt collar and yanked you back with a gentle but firm pull. As you heard an exasperated sigh behind you, you slowly, tentatively turned around again. Midorima let go of you and once again pushed back his glasses, looking you straight in the eye.

When he finally opened his mouth to speak, there was a composed, slightly chilly air to his words: “I did not pass on studying tonight to accompany you to the train station just so you can run away now.”

You gulped hard as you stared up at him, for the second time tonight feeling like a child being chided by her mother. Lowering your gaze, you could feel your lips starting to tremble again. You hated feeling so vulnerable, but when it came to anything concerning Takao you just couldn't help it. You had never before felt so insecure and agitated, yet at the same time so very fulfilled and happy whenever seeing someone's face.

Midorima let another small sigh escape his lips but you kept your eyes averted, doing your best to suppress the sinking feeling which tried to claw its way back to the surface of your consciousness.

“Here,” he suddenly thrust out his hand and pressed something small against the back of your palm, “I took precautions.”

You took the little object from him, eying it carefully. It was a little blue hippo figurine, grinning up at you with its oversized, toothy mouth. The rising feeling of anxiety was immediately overshadowed by a wave of affection and all of a sudden you had to fight back tears for a completely different reason than before.

“Is this...” you began, but were interrupted by him.

“It's (your zodiac sign)'s lucky item for today, (L/N)-san. And now please calm down. The train is arriving.”

You shot Midorima a heartfelt smile of gratitude, before you finally stood up straight, clutching the hippo to your chest and fixing your gaze on the train which was just coming to a halt. Your gaze wandered over the countless faces emerging from the many doors until you finally spotted the one you had been waiting for.

When your eyes met over the heads of the other passengers, a broad smile crept on Takao's features and, ignoring the grunts of dissatisfaction around him, he dodged his way through the sea of bodies until he broke into a full run, seemingly not even caring any longer if his traveling bag hit anybody smack in the head. There was a gleam in his eyes which had you hold your breath.

When he finally reached the spot you were standing in, he let his bag carelessly drop to the floor with a loud thud to sweep you up in his arms. He didn't even take the time to utter a proper greeting or to spare Midorima a sideway glance at all, but simply lifted you off the ground to give you a big smooch on the lips. Just like that.

It took you a moment to comprehend what had just happened, but when you realized what he was doing right there, in the middle of a train station, your eyes expanded into the size of saucers. Your heart rate practically exploded into outer space and the blood shot to your cheeks in a mad rush.

Even though the kiss couldn't have lasted longer than a few seconds, it had felt like an eternity. An incredible, breathtaking, dizzying eternity. No intention of letting go of you whatsoever, Takao kept you in a firm hug as he carefully put you back on the ground. His whole face was illuminated by a handsome grin he focused on only you.

“Haah~ I finally have my girl back,” he exclaimed happily and put his forehead to yours, contently closing his eyes and obviously choosing to ignore the look of utter and complete shock on your face.

As though his former ambush hadn't been enough for your poor heart already, his words only served to further the bustle in your head, leaving you unable to do anything but squeak out a little: “Your girl?”

Takao pulled back slightly to catch your gaze. Cocking his head to the side he said: “Well, of course. Why else would I spend all this time with you, silly?”

Even more dumbfounded, you tried to form any coherent words, but, just as it was with your thoughts, this seemed to be impossible. So instead you simply stuttered out: “But how...when did...why...all of a sudden...”

A bubble of laughter erupted from the boy standing in front of you who was still holding you in a tight grip, unwilling to let you go.

“All of a sudden?”, he replied, his voice still laced with little chuckles, “Seriously, (F/N)-chan. Do you really need everything spelled out? Of course I want you to be my girlfriend. No, scratch that. Of course you _are_ my girlfriend.”

There. There it was. The words you had been waiting for so desperately. The words you had been craving. Said to you, just like that, in a completely casual way. As though it was the most natural thing in the world.

And just like that, all the pent-up tension of the past months fell from you like the leaves of a tree in a fall storm. With just a few words he had lifted such a huge burden off your breast and replaced it with a feeling of indescribable relief. And joy. And excitement. Your heart felt as though it was filled to the brim with affection. Wow. So if that's what it felt like to fall in love, you'd make sure to never hit the ground but keep on falling. Not that you had any doubts Takao would make sure you stayed floating.

And since the giddiness Takao had caused in you made you feel extraordinarily brave somehow, you decided it was about time you returned his cockiness. You put a finger to your chin and mused aloud: “Shouldn't you at least ask me properly?”

The smile vanished from Takao's face for a moment as a look of genuine shock appeared on his features. He took in your face, from the mischievous gleam in your eyes, to the cheeks dusted in pink and the cheeky little grin on your lips and burst out laughing again.

“Pfffft, you know, (F/N)-chan, since I don't accept a 'no' as an answer, nuh-uh, no way I'm taking a risk. What's more, I know you're crazy about me anyway. And I'm even crazier about you. So why waste time on something so trivial?”

He leaned down to plant a small kiss on the top of your nose and while you could feel your heart pounding violently against your ribcage, you pressed the little hippo Midorima had given you just minutes before even closer to your breast. Oh, apropos Midorima. You sheepishly peeked to your right to steal a glance at the green-haired boy you had completely forgotten about in the whirlwind of emotions Takao had unleashed in you.

Midorima was looking away awkwardly, his face beet-red to the point you could've sworn you saw steam coming out of his ears. His glasses were slightly fogged and there were little droplets of sweat trickling down his neck as he tried his best not to meet your glance and to pretend he didn't know the two lovebirds being all lovey-dovey and kissy-faced right next to him.

In order to not blow his cover, you simply mouthed a silent _thank you_ in his direction before shifting your glance back to Takao. OK, admittedly, not blowing his (bad) cover wasn't the reason for choosing to just let him be. But who could blame you? You felt this pressing need to focus all of your attention back on your...your...boyfriend. The internal squeal almost broke out of you, but instead you managed to transform it into a stifled giggle.

You were just so overwhelmed with the whole situation. You finally had your answer. You really did and the feeling of knowing Takao was just as much in love with you as you were with him was so amazing that right now you didn't care for anything else in the world. All that mattered was right in front of you. You didn't even care in the slightest about the people who were looking your way, clucking their tongues or shaking their heads. And Takao didn't seem to care either, because while you continued giggling like a schoolgirl, he showered your whole face with sweet, little kisses, unable to stop now that he had started it.


	4. First Sleepover

“Ick, your rice is getting completely soaked, Kazunari!”  
  
You scrunched your nose slightly as you watched a humming Takao pile his bowl with serving after serving of kimchi. Shooting you a side glance, his lips curled into a beaming smile, before he turned his attention back to the huge pot of spicy, pickled cabbage and loaded some more of it on top of his rice and beef mix, while switching from the hum into one of his silly, but admittedly rather cute impromptu songs, this time about his undying love for the Korean side dish.  
  
You gently shook your head, but were unable to fight the amused smile his little tune teased out of you. You turned back to the counter and began loading your own rice bowl with the fried meat, onions and mushrooms you and Takao had prepared together in order to create a donburi just to your liking. Well, at least you _tried_ to prepare it the way you liked it, because just as you were about to crack a soft-boiled egg on top of your food, a pair of chopsticks loaded with kimchi suddenly appeared in your field of vision. Immediately, you let go of the not yet cracked egg, letting it tumble back on the kitchen towel and pulled your bowl away from the approaching hand.  
  
When you lifted your head to give the culprit a reprimanding glance, Takao merely grinned back at you, not the slightest hint of apology in his eyes. On the contrary, you could clearly see a mischievous sparkle in them. Trying your best not to fall victim to his boyish charm, which sadly happened way too often, you slightly squinted your eyes and, for what felt like the hundredth time, said: “Come on, you know I don't like it.”  
  
Takao's answer was quick and expected since you've had this conversation numerous times ever since the sour-smelling pot of kimchi had found its way into his fridge a few days ago.  
  
“But you haven't tried my sister's yet. She made it all by herself.”  
  
You didn't even have to think of a retort since your mouth seemed to be working of its own accord by now: “But I've tried it in countless restaurants thanks to a certain someone who keeps on insisting I do and not once have I come across...”  
  
You were interrupted by the sensation of soft lips pressing onto yours, completely cutting off your words. And your will to argue. Leave it to Takao Kazunari to end a dispute in his own, very efficient manner. Instinctively you closed your eyes and returned the kiss, savoring the sweet taste he breathed into your mouth and enjoying the feeling of the corners of his lips, which slowly turned upwards into a cheeky smile, against your skin.  
  
Oi! Wait a minute! You ripped open your eyes again, just as you felt a hand bump against your wrist and broke away from him, your gaze following the motion. When you looked down, Takao was already in the process of dumping a huge load of the despised cabbage on the dish you protectively pressed against your stomach. You let out a cry of outrage as you swiftly yanked up your bowl from underneath his chopsticks. So not cool! With a grim expression chiseled on your features, you watched the rest of the load spill on the kitchen floor in between the two of you, before slowly lifting your gaze, glowering at your boyfriend.  
  
He, however, seemed completely unaffected by your dark expression and merely slumped his shoulders slightly, saying: “Aw, look at the mess you've made.”  
  
Flaring your nostrils, your turned towards the counter once more and breathed out an exasperated sigh. While finally cracking the egg into your bowl, you responded: “It's your own fault for trying to trick me.”  
  
“But it almost worked!”, Takao exclaimed happily as he leaned down to brush your temple with a kiss.  
  
This time, you didn't even try to hide to the smile which immediately stole on your features. It was just a wild guess, but maybe Takao really had held back his feelings for you for the sole reason that it was extremely hard for him to keep his hands off of you. Where he had only held your hand or threw an arm around you before, he was now forever putting an arm around your waist, giving you surprise hugs (sometimes in the most inappropriate situations imaginable), or running his hands through your (hair color) tresses. He really seemed to love the feeling of your body next to his and the sensation of your skin under his fingertips. But what he enjoyed most were kisses. Definitely kisses. It really seemed that in the very moment he had claimed your lips as his for the very first time, he had left behind every bit of self-restraint. Ever since he had allowed himself to get a taste of you, it had become impossible for him to stop showering you with affection. Not that you minded. To be honest, you too could never get enough of his kisses and enjoyed all the attention Takao was paying to you.  
  
So when he grabbed both yours and his bowl from the counter to carry them into the living room, you didn't even have to look his way to know what would come next. And sure enough, he turned his head in your direction to plant a little peck on your lips. You gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments before a set of matching grins broke out on your features. Gosh, this guy did not only have a firm grip on the bowls, but also on your heart. You really were utterly and completely in love with him. Every time he fixed his beautiful eyes on you, you practically melted under their blue like wax on a lighted candle. Every single time your heart skipped a beat and a whole battalion of butterflies started frenziedly fluttering in your stomach.  
  
As he turned around to shuffle into the adjacent room, a huge grin was still plastered on his face, perfectly mirroring your own. A giggle rolled from your lips while you grabbed the apple juice from the fridge and proceeded to follow him.  
  
As if pulled by an invisible force, your slippered feet dutifully pursued Takao in the small, cozy living room. Upon entering it, you caught a glimpse of your own reflection in the glass of a cupboard filled with neatly sorted and stacked trading cards close to the entrance. Another giggle slowly welled up inside and broke out of you in a very unladylike snort that rocked your whole body. You really were a sight to behold!  
  
Seriously. You looked ridiculous wearing Takao's old Shuutoku jersey and one of his countless sweatpants, while a pair of green-striped boxers peeked out from underneath. All of these were several sizes too big for you and had you not only feel, but also look like a dwarf dressed in giant's clothing. But Takao hadn't let you have a say in this.  
  
Your original plan for the day had been to go on an afternoon stroll in Yoyogi Koen to watch the trees shed their autumn leaves in a dizzying dance of reds and yellows, but not a minute after leaving Harajuku Station you were surprised by an unannounced early November rainstorm. The downpour had been epic, bathing Tokyo's streets in a bold light whenever a bolt of lightning lit up the otherwise gloomy skies. Hadn't you been outside but watched the spectacle from inside the safety of a building, you would have marveled at nature's power and beauty. But since you had been walking the streets yourself, clinging desperately to Takao's arm and trying to fight against the thick droplets the wind blew into your eyes despite the umbrella, you could only do your best to keep from whining. By the time the two of you had reached Takao's apartment, the umbrella had been ripped out of Takao's hand by a particularly nasty gust of wind and you were both soaked to the bones. Determined to make up for letting you get soaked, Takao had filled the bathtub with steaming water and ushered you inside the bathroom, completely ignoring the weak resistance you half-heartedly put up. Insisting that you weren't allowed to leave the bathroom until you were thoroughly warmed, you had eventually reclined in the tub, listening to the rumble Takao made as he bustled about his apartment to straighten up its mess. Spending the day at his house had not been part of the initial plan after all. So when you had finally stepped out of the bath again, dressed in your boyfriend's gear, the clothes, which had littered the floor before, were gone and the dirty dishes, now shining with soap and water, neatly piled in the kitchen cupboard.  
  
The memories raised a smile out of you as you trudged over to the table and flopped down on a seat cushion in front of your bowl. While you were happily munching away, Takao did most of the talking, charming smile after smile from you with his lively talk about yesterday's basketball practice in which Midorima had been hit with a ball in the back of his head. This had resulted in the shooter breaking out in tears after the tall green-head had shot him an irritated glare. You burst out laughing as Takao proceeded to imitate Midorima's distressed expression, complete with the repeated adjustment of imaginary glasses.  
  
When you felt your chopsticks bumping against the bottom of your bowl, your eyes wandered down to take a look at your meal. You had completely gobbled down one half of it, unconsciously clearing off the rice-vegetable-mix around the kimchi Takao had piled on your dish. Your gaze rested warily on the pickled cabbage soaking through your leftovers and you caught Takao observing you, restlessly shifting in his seat as if his fidgeting might somehow encourage you to go ahead and try it. And the worst part about it was that it somehow _did_ encourage you, because he really looked like a jittery boy on his first day of school, his eyes wide and sparkling.  
  
Ah, well. To hell with the resolution to never try it again after your last encounter with the dish in a Korean restaurant where it had made your eyes water with its sheer spiciness! Because, honestly, what kind of heartless person could resist a puppy-eyed Takao?  
  
You shot him a _this better be worth it_ look before you shoveled some of the pickled cabbage in between your lips and... your eyes widened in surprise as you realized his sister's kimchi really wasn't all that bad. At all. As you lifted a second helping of it to your mouth, Takao gave a whoop of joy, just before a smug expression appeared on his face and he had you grudgingly admit he'd been right over and over again.  
  
A short while later you let out a content sigh as you rubbed your full belly. Takao was already flicking through the channels on the TV, trying to find a movie to his liking.  
  
“Whoa! The Fast and the Furious is on,” he exclaimed excitedly and turned up the volume, filling the room with the noise of screeching tires on asphalt.  
  
“Nu-uh, not a chance,” you stated in a matter-of-fact tone and leaned over to snatch the remote control from his hand.  
  
Takao, however, saw right through your intent and quickly hopped to his feet to stretch up his arms before you could grab a hold of the remote control. So not fair! You too jumped to your feet and clung to his arm, trying to pull it down and thus enabling you to reach the black item, much to his amusement and your building frustration. What good could your untrained arms do against his sculptured biceps, which had been steeled by many years of a strict exercise regimen? But you were not one to give up that easily! While Takao's teasing prancing and sing-song mingled with the roaring of sports cars' engines, you locked onto your target and in one swift motion pounced and latched onto his torso. Takao, who had not anticipated such a sudden assault, wobbled dangerously to and fro, trying unsuccessfully to regain his balance, before he toppled over, landing in a tangle of limbs right on top of you. For a moment, the two of you stared at each other wide-eyed, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Then, as if on cue, you burst out laughing, still clinging tightly to each other.  
  
However, your laughter soon faded out as the realization that you and your boyfriend were lying on the floor in a rather...precarious position hit you. You immediately felt your face heat up and there was no doubt that Takao, too, had come to the exact same realization. But contrary to your own flustered reaction, a wide, almost predatory, smile crept on his features before he dampened his lips with a flick of his tongue, his mischievously sparkling eyes never leaving your face. Just as you were about to clear your throat, he darted down and firmly pressed his lips on yours. You could feel his hot breath stroking your cheek as he angled his head slightly to the side in order to deepen the kiss, while one of his hands found its way to your hair, entangling some of your strands in a loose fist.  
  
When the two of you broke apart, you were panting heavily and your head felt dizzy. But the spinning of your head was nothing compared to the fluttering in your stomach and the ecstatic beating of your heart. Okay. This guy was breathtaking. Literally.  
  
His eyes had dropped to half-mast and his voice had taken on a dark baritone as he slowly leaned down to your ear and whispered: “You know, you could stay the night. My bed is big enough for the two of us.”  
  
You inhaled sharply before you felt your breath hitch in your throat. The images his suggestive voice unleashed before your inner eye had you blush a deep scarlet color. Was he serious? Was he really implying what you thought he was implying? How did the playful situation from before all of a sudden turn into something like _this_?  
  
As you opened and closed your mouth repeatedly, you found yourself unable to utter even a single word. This was a side of Takao you had gotten tiny glimpses of before, but never actually been confronted with directly. While you still struggled to regain control over your vocal chords, Takao suddenly leaned back again and studied your expression long and hard, his face completely void of his usual easy-going mien. Just before he leaned down to your other ear, you could've sworn you saw his cheeky little smile appear on his features and as he once more whispered in your ear, a low hum to his voice, you were sure of it.  
  
“Your blushy face really is the cutest, (F/N)-chan.”  
  
Immediately you came back to your senses and, with a low growl, clenched your hand into a fist to deliver a hard blow to his upper arm. Twice.  
  
Takao broke out into a whole-hearted laughing fit and before finally sitting back up, grabbed your cheeks to squish them together and snatch one last kiss from you for now.  
  
With his back against the couch, he crossed his legs and patted his thighs, prompting you to come and sit on his lap. You eyed him warily for a moment, still trying to come to terms with your rapidly beating heart. Even though Takao seemed to be his old cheery self again, you were not quite sure whether or not he had other surprise attacks like that just now up his sleeve. When he raised his eyebrows and impatiently patted his legs again, however, you finally complied and somewhat sheepishly climbed into his lap. Leaning back, you rested your back against his broad chest, which was welcomed with a sturdy pair of arms winding themselves around your waist and a chin being rested on top of your head.  
  
Not caring any longer for the stupid movie playing on the television screen, you closed your eyes and snuggled closer to Takao, simply enjoyed the sensation of being encircled by his large, warm body. As you felt yourself slowly drifting off, you felt Takao planting gentle little kisses on your hairline.


	5. First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This one-shot is highly suggestive so please don't read it if you don't feel comfortable with sexual implications!

A beam of sunlight lovingly caressed your face and you let out a little purring sound, somewhere between a yawn and a soft sigh. What greater feeling is there than being woken up by a little dance of warm, shiny light that tries its best to lull you back into the cozy world of dreams? Ahh, somehow you felt extraordinarily good and relaxed, just like a cat rolling around in a sunny patch of luscious, green summer grass. And the feeling was simply too good to open your sleepy eyes just yet. Just five more minutes. Yeah. Just five more minutes.  
  
Deciding to turn your face towards the brilliant light and enjoy the comfortable warmth of the sun just a little bit longer, you lazily rolled onto your right side and stretched out your toes as far as they would go. You wriggled them around a bit, enjoying the soft breeze that blew through the crack of the open window between your toes. Soon your arms followed as you stretched them in the general direction of the sunlight, as though trying to embrace it, when suddenly your forearm came into contact with something soft. Something soft that wasn't your blanket. And something... you tentatively let your fingertips glide across the surface, something warm. Very, very warm. Too warm to have been heated up by the rays of light. And, oh good grief, how did it escape your notice until now? There was also a faint sound. Right next to your ear. A sound which very much sounded like soft snoring.  
  
Alarmed, you ripped open your eyes and catapulted your body towards the very edge of the bed, orbs scanning everything in its near vicinity. Right there, at the foot of the bed, was that your bra? Your breath hitched in your throat as all of the sudden the memories from last night resurfaced. Immediately, you could feel your face heat up tremendously. Right. Last night had started out innocently enough. You and your boyfriend had watched a movie and as usual, you had been snuggled up in his lap, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat when the atmosphere between the two of you had suddenly changed. You had shifted around, trying to find a position that was more comfortable for you which had caused Takao to shift around restlessly as well. And before you knew what was happening, he had you pinned against the floor, his eyes completely void of the usual mischievous twinkle. His kisses had felt different. Hotter. Sloppier. More demanding. So much more demanding. And then... well. One thing had led to another and before long the two of you had stumbled your way into his bedroom, bumping into door frames and walls, leaving a trail of clothes carelessly scattered throughout his apartment.  
  
Your gaze slowly wandered from the end of the bed to the spot next to you and, sure enough, a pair of sleepy blue eyes was fixed on you, accompanied by an affectionate smile that could have brightened up even the darkest of days.  
  
“Good morning, beautiful,” Takao drawled in a sleep-addled voice before he let out a long, humming yawn.  
  
A high-pitched squeak escaped your lips as you hurriedly pulled the blankets all the way up to your collarbone and crawled over to where your bra was located, frantically fishing for the violet-colored piece of lace. You heard a hearty little chuckle behind you and a moment later, just as you had successfully yanked out the strap that had gotten caught between the mattress and the frame, a satisfied: “Mmh, what a sight to behold!”  
  
Your eyes darted back towards your boyfriend, who unabashedly stared at your exposed backside, the familiar cheeky expression back on his features.  
  
“Oi, don't look!”, you yelled louder than intended as you unsuccessfully tried to put on your bra while simultaneously holding up the blanket.  
  
Takao burst out laughing, not even remotely trying to cover it up. His body was still shaking with laughter as he rolled over and caught you by your waist. With a saucy grin chiseled on his face, his strong arms pulled you down on top of him in one swift motion so that the tips of your noses almost touched.  
  
While you were struggling to break free from his grip, your face heated up the point you felt it had to explode any minute now, he put one hand at the crook of your neck and captured your lips in a sweet little butterfly kiss.  
  
Immediately, you felt all your tension melt away. The kiss was so tender, so lovingly, it really was impossible to not give in and finally cease your half-hearted struggling. When Takao broke away from you, he affectionately rubbed the tip of his nose against yours. You stared into each others eyes for a moment that to you felt as though it was lasting a delicious eternity and when he finally let go of you, you instantly regretted the loss of his fingers on your exposed skin.  
  
Almost grudgingly now, you climbed off of him, leaving the bra forgotten in the sheets next to your boyfriend.  
  
Takao stretched out his arms and legs languidly under the blanket that was still covering his body and with a hearty yawn he asked: “Coffee? I sure as hell need some.”  
  
Ever the saucy one, he winked at you suggestively and apparently decided to ignore the look of incredulousness you threw in his direction, because a moment later, he was already kicking off his blanket and climbed out of the bed.  
  
The squeaky sound that escaped your mouth reached an almost inhuman pitch as you bashfully beheld your boyfriend in all his naked glory and you were quick to avert your eyes, reaching for his blanket and using it to completely cover your seething face.  
  
You could hear muffled, uninhibited laughter and the sound of footsteps makings their way towards you.  
  
“Aw, come on, it's not like you haven't seen it before,” his voice rang out through the thick fabric you had still pulled over your head and you could've sworn the little troublemaker was standing right next to you. You were proved right as the blanket was snatched away from you and a grinning Takao loomed over your figure like a predator waiting to pounce on its prey. His gaze wandered slowly, ever so slowly over your own, very much exposed form and when his eyes snapped back to your face, it took you everything not to run from him screaming. His face was glazed over by an intensity that had you hold your breath. Your eyes flickered downwards for the friction of a moment, but immediately you brought them back to his face, on which once more an impish grin had broken out.  
  
“Actually, the coffee can wait for another thirty minutes, don't you think?”, Takao purred into your ear as he crawled back into the bed and pressed his lips to yours.


	6. First Fight

Your eyes landed on your boyfriend and the person standing right next to him. Unintentionally, you let out a small but audible growl. Observing the two of them intently, your gaze slowly turned into a scowl as you watched Takao respond with a hearty laugh to something the giggling girl in front of him had said. You shifted around nervously in your seat in the bleachers, too far away to make out what it was they were talking about, but judging by their carefree expressions it had nothing to do with the basketball game, the third quarter of which had just ended with a 89:93 for the opposing team.  
  
Your field of vision narrowed until your orbs were focused solely on the girl. She was currently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and thereby enabled you to look at her features more closely. Her clear brown nature-given bedroom eyes were focused completely on Takao, the corners of her full lips pulled up in her signature half-smile. Her tiny figure with proportions in just the right places was facing the raven-haired man just as if they were dwelling in their own little secret world, which naturally excluded every other person in this hall. Just as she brought up one of her hands to muffle a new fit of giggles, her long silky hair unloosened again and engulfed the shoulders in a veil of seemingly molten bitumen. You could feel your own hands twitch angrily, as if driven by a visceral intend to lock themselves around that delicate-looking neck of hers. Shimamoto Tomomi. Yeah. She even had a fucking name to fit that fucking flawless appearance. The beautiful and wise one from the island. Well, beat that, right?  
  
Shimamoto was the kind of girl you either loved or hated. There was no in between. This was a fact you had realized the moment Takao had introduced her to you three months ago as the new manager of the university's basketball team. She had bowed slightly, her observant eyes fixed on you and that half-smile contorted with a hint of mockery for just the friction of a second. When she had straightened her back again and greeted you with a pleasant “Nice to meet you, (L/N)-senpai” every hint of derision had been wiped clean from her face and you had almost believed it had just been a trick of your imagination. Almost. Hadn't she given you that close-lipped smile just before turning back towards your boyfriend and thereby completely blocking you out. This had been the moment you knew to be wary of her.  
  
As weeks passed, your wariness rapidly turned into repugnance. You felt intimidated, almost threatened, whenever you caught sight of her interacting with Takao. And the thought of them spending so much time together during practice without you being around had you antsy, because by now you were sure she had taken a fancy to him. You had observed the actions of the black-haired beauty closely throughout several training games and the preliminaries of the intercollegiate Basketball Championship, the very last round of which was held today. It was hidden in the pitch of her giggles when she was laughing at one of Takao's particularly bad jokes, written in the way she inclined her head at just the right angle to gaze up at him with open admiration shining in her eyes, obvious in the subtle but constant touches of her fingertips on his arms whenever they talked.  
  
You usually weren't the jealous type and up to now, your boyfriend had never given you a reason to be. But with Shimamoto it was different.  
  
When you had asked Takao what he thought of her, he had looked at you with quizzical eyes and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“She does a good job.” He had merely said before leaning in closer and adding: “Why? Is my sweet (F/N)-chan jealous?”  
  
Of course, feeling offended by his happy face, you had puffed out your cheeks and in a surprisingly steady voice said: “Why would I?”  
  
So while maintaining your cool on the outside, your insides were churning. It was impossible to concentrate on your studies in the library while knowing Takao and Shimamoto were in the same room at that very moment. Where previously you had been waiting for Takao to finish his training with a smile, you now greeted him with a deep frown, feeling agitated by his exhausted, accomplished grin the moment he stepped out of the locker room.  
  
Your anxiety had grown to the point where you had consulted Midorima about your suspicion.  
  
“You're worrying too much.” He had simply said and that had been the end of the conversation for him. After this, you hadn't brought up the topic again.  
  
Maybe you really were worrying too much, but what were you supposed to feel when every single day you saw another girl – a girl so beautiful she always turned several heads – flirt openly with your boyfriend?  
  
An exasperated sigh escaped your lips as you once again witnessed Shimamoto claiming Takao's full attention for her, just as the buzzer that signaled the beginning of the last quarter rang through the gymnasium. You crossed your arms in front of your body, realizing your boyfriend hadn't looked up to your seat even once during the short break even though it had become your little ritual to give each other a thumbs up at the end and beginning of a quarter – even if a quarter had ended badly; it was a sign that Takao had still given his best and that you believed in him. The sinking feeling in your stomach grew to a whirlwind of anger as you caught sight of Shimamoto taking Takao's hand into hers for a moment and talking insistently to him with a rosy blush spreading on her cheeks. Takao let out a roar of laughter that reached all the way up to your seat and when you saw him pulling back his hand to give the girl in front of him a thumbs up while hurrying back on the court something in you snapped.  
  
The last quarter of the game whizzed past you in a hazy fog. Your whole field of vision was dipped in a deep, scarlet red and when the two opposing teams finally left the court, you were blind and deaf to the victorious jumps and shouts of your university's basketball team. You left the bleachers without even sparing them a single glance, much less a thumbs up.  
  
You leaned against a lamppost in close vicinity to the gymnasium's entrance and watched the masses of spectators stream out of the building to catch their train home after watching the last games of the intercollegiate Basketball Championship preliminaries. You needed something, anything to keep your shaking hands under control and so you tightly clasped a can of soda you had opened a while ago but not yet taken a single sip from. Your whole body was so tense you were not surprised that several people eyed you with a slack-jawed expression before hurrying along nervously when you fixed your narrowed eyes on them for the friction of a moment.  
  
“If you keep on glaring like that, your pretty forehead will get all wrinkly,” you suddenly heard a soft voice beside you, followed by a melodious tinkle of laughter.  
  
Your fingers tightened around the can you were holding and slowly you turned around, just to be greeted by the last smile you wanted to see right now. There she was in all her glory and splendor, face flush with excitement and a bright sparkle in those clear, brown eyes: Shimamoto Tomomi.  
  
You tried to return her smile, but judging by her startled expression, it was probably hardly more than a simple baring of teeth. Shimamoto was quick to regain her composure though and motioned to the soda in your hands.  
  
“Mind if I take a sip? The game was so exciting that I completely forgot to buy something myself.”  
  
For a moment, you considered throwing the can right at her stupid, perfectly shaped button nose, but after a second of contemplation you silently handed it to her. She inclined her head a bit in order to thank you before taking a big gulp out of the can and then handing it back to you.  
  
“Thank you so much, (L/N)-senpai, you really are a sweetheart, aren't you?” Another tinkle of laughter escaped her lips as she ran her finger through her hair and kept her eyes on you. There was something in that look you couldn't quite put a finger on, but of one thing you were sure: this _something_ definitely wasn't pleasant. You could feel your face flush as the uneasy feeling of having been challenged crept up on you. While the half-smile never left Shimamoto's features, your own lips curled into a thin line. You knew, could practically smell, that both of you were perfectly aware of each other's silent contempt, and while the girl in front of you was definitely more skilled at hiding it, there was a menacing aura around her that had the air between you two feel so thick it could've been cut with a knife.  
  
Shimamoto was the one to break the silence between you two as she stretched out her arms and lazily drawled out: “Well, I've got to get going. Doctor's appointment. You take care of my boys and make sure they celebrate properly, will you, (L/N)-senpai?”  
  
There it was again. That _something_. In the way she had put particular emphasis on the words _my boys_ and in the way she had stressed every syllable in your name as though you were slow on the uptake of...of...yeah, of what exactly?  
  
The moment she walked past you and left a sweet-smelling cloud of perfume in her wake, you suddenly blurted out: “What's your deal with Kazu?”  
  
Shimamoto stopped dead in her tracks and you could've sworn you heard a little snicker. But when she looked back at you over her shoulder she looked genuinely surprised.  
  
“Hm? I'm the team's manager.” She replied slowly, making you feel as though you were a child who had asked a particularly stupid question. You could feel the anger kindling inside you again, the red flames long passed and now blazing a dangerous milky blue.  
  
“You know exactly what I mean!” You snapped, not even trying to hide your irritation. “What do you want from Kazu?”  
  
She let out a little laugh, one that made your breath hitch in your throat. It was completely different from her usual singsong, this laugh was dark and raw. Dangerous, almost ominous. This was it. Both of you had torn off your mask and shown the real face behind the friendly façade. Yours was angry, with a hint of insecurity and fear. Hers was intimidation. Open, pure intimidation. Shimamoto's eyes lowered just the tiniest bit and her lips twitched in mild amusement.  
  
“As I said, I'm the team's manager. And as a manager,” she paused for a moment to make sure you were returning her unwavering gaze, “what I want the most is take good care of him. Very good care.”  
  
The breath of air you had been holding in escaped you in a loud hissing sound. You could practically hear a heart added at the end of her sentence and unintentionally you took a step back, bumping hard into the lamppost you had stepped away from a few minutes ago. The beat of your heart sped up tremendously and your whole body started shaking violently. Whether it was a sign of alarm or anger you weren't quite sure. When you opened your mouth you hated yourself for the fact that your voice sounded shaky. Shaky and shrill.  
  
“What are you...are you implying something?”  
  
The girl in front of you raised her eyebrows subtly, a smile still plastered on her face which felt wrong. Oh, so wrong. It wasn't even of the triumphant or vicious kind. On the contrary. It was bright, carefree and sweet. Just like the smell of her perfume that still clung to the air around you, constricting your throat and suffocating you.  
  
With one last blink of her long lashes, she turned her head back to the front and in her usual melodious voice said: “Why would I do that? Ciao.”  
  
No. Nonono. This was completely wrong. This was not how this conversation – if one could call it that – ought to end. It _couldn't_ end like this!  
  
“Oi! Wait!” You called out, and thankfully your voice had shed its shaky tone and was back to sounding steady, even kind of forceful.  
  
This time you were sure you heard an exasperated sigh coming from her. However, she simply stopped in her tracks and started talking, not bothering to turn around.  
  
“He's a handsome guy, (L/N)-senpai. You should be careful, or someone might just,” Shimamoto paused to raise one of her hands and audibly snap her fingers, “take him away from you.”  
  
You were stunned into complete silence. As you watched her tiny figure being swallowed by the masses, you could hear not a single sound but the thundering of your heartbeat, which reached all the way up into your ears. That had not been a mere implication. It had been an open declaration of war. You rested your head against the lamppost and closed your eyes in the futile attempt to soothe the ferocious beating of your heart. A humorless laugh escaped your lips as you thought back to your talk with Midorima. You're worrying too much, eh? No. You hadn't been worrying quite enough. Tomomi. The beautiful and wise one alright. What a fitting name indeed. Not that you'd say she was wise, really. You'd rather call it cunning. And you were absolutely sure of one thing now: it had been her plan to snatch your boyfriend away from you from the very beginning. Oh God...you had been right to be wary of her. But with her, being wary had been a complete waste of time. You should've brought out your weapons right from the start.  
  
You put your hands to your temples and massaged them forcefully. However, it did nothing to release you of the throbbing pain or the feeling of helplessness, tinged with a pang of anger. Of course, you were in no way considering to back down. But the thought of putting up a fight for something you shouldn't even need to fight for, which was yours by law – or so you'd like to think – made your head hurt and stomach turn.  
  
“(F/N)-chan!! We did it, we really did it!!”  
  
You ripped open your eyes as Takao's cheerful voice suddenly sounded over the mumbling and shuffling of the thinning masses and you violently turned your head towards the source of the noise. He was making a beeline for you, maneuvering himself through the throng of people elegantly, a skip to his step and a huge grin lighting up his whole face. That's when you felt it. The anger turned into blind rage at the sight of his carefree attitude. How could he be so elated when your whole world had just been turned around because of him?  
  
Takao seemed to completely oblivious to your state of mind and so he let out a cry of surprise when you roughly pushed him away from you the moment he tried to pull you into an embrace. Taken aback by your violent reaction, he stumbled back a few steps and, tripping over his own feet, almost fell over backwards. His eyes showed open confusion as he cautiously extended his fingers, as if steadily pulled in your direction by an invisible force. You slapped his hand away.  
  
“Eh? (F/N)-chan, what's wro—”, he started, but you cut him off immediately.  
  
“Why don't you ask your fine _manager_ Shimamoto? Or better yet, why don't you hug her instead?”, you shouted, completely ignoring the rest of the basketball team, which, upon hearing your words, stopped and stayed rooted to the sport just a few feet away from your boyfriend. You knew your words were childish and completely unreasonable, but you couldn't help it. All the tension you had built up while talking to Shimamoto boiled over at this very moment and all you could think about were her last words.  
  
“What are you talking about? Where is my congratulation kiss?” Takao said and even though he tried his best to loosen up the atmosphere and to appear like his usual buoyant self, you heard the subtle tremor in his voice.  
  
“Congratulations on making me look like a complete ass by drooling all over your manager's pretty face. So go ahead, get your congratulation kiss from those puckered lips of hers.”  
  
By now, your voice had risen to such a high pitch and volume you hadn't even known you were capable of, but you were beyond the point of caring. You didn't even care how accusing or harmful the words that tumbled out from between your lips were. All you wanted to do was attack. Strike where it hurt the most.  
  
“You're... joking, right?”  
  
Takao let out a little insecure laugh and once more, this time more slowly and cautiously, he stretched out his hand. You watched the slight tremble of his fingers through your hazy veil of anger and took a step aside so that he touched nothing but a gust of wind.  
  
“Do I look like I'm joking? And what's even more important, do I look like I'm a fucking idiot? I bet you two have been fooling around my back for weeks. After all, she takes _very_ good care of you, doesn't she?” You practically spat, taking up Shimamoto's previous words and throwing them at Takao's bewildered face with all the force you could muster.  
  
“H-hey, that's a bit...” One of his teammates suddenly chimed in, but you silenced him with one look of your infuriated eyes. He gulped hard and immediately went silent again.  
  
“Was it just too hard to take your eyes off her and look at your pitiful girlfriend? Did you even realize I was there?”  
  
Your gaze was back on your boyfriend, who looked as though he had been hit in the face. His eyes were widened in shock, his cheeks flushed a deep red color and his mouth opening and closing slowly, without a single word actually coming out.  
  
“(F/N)-san, calm down.”  
  
Once again, one of Takao's teammates tried to intervene your torrent of accusations. This time it was Midorima. However, you didn't even spare him a glance, but only snorted derisively. Calm down he said? Just like you were worrying too much, right? You knew you were past the point of reason and you were perfectly aware of the fact that both your words and actions were completely unpredictable. You had lost control of yourself and Midorima's sober voice caused the exact opposite of what it was intended to do.  
  
You wound up your arm and with a forceful throw flung the open soda can on the ground between Takao and you. Its contents splattered from the tiny opening in every direction, tinting the spot around it in a dirty, foaming brown. The can rolled around pathetically before coming to a halt at the front of Takao's shoe.  
  
For a moment, you felt as though time had stopped. Everything – and everyone – around you went so silent you could've heard a pin drop.  
  
While your chest was heaving heavily, Takao's eyes wandered from the dented can to your trembling form, his disbelieving mien slowly turning stony. When he opened his mouth, the words that left his lips were barely audible.  
  
“I think we should continue this conversation at my place.” He said in a dangerously low voice.  
  
But you simply shot him a glare, straightened your shoulders and stomped off, leaving him and the rest of his team in the middle of the murmuring cluster of people that had formed itself around the scene, ignoring Takao's calls to wait up.  
  
When you unlocked the door to your dorm room, you could hardly remember the train ride home. The only things you did remember were the burning sensation of your eyes as tears had tried to claw their way out of them, and the lump in your throat, seemingly as large as a whole fist and turning every single swallow into a painful procedure.

As soon as you heard the muffled sound of the door clicking shut behind you, you no longer tried to keep your tears at bay but let them flow freely. They felt like flames licking down their way on your heated, reddened skin and while you tried to get rid of the painful feeling in your throat by sobbing convulsively, you slowly slid down on the cold wood of your door. Burying your face in your arms, you let the scene that had happened only half an hour ago play before your inner eye over and over again.

Oh God... what had you done? You had acted like a child, thrashing around wildly and lashing out at everyone who dared to get close enough to you in this state of mind. You had said words that should have never left your lips. Words you didn't even believe yourself. Words you had used for the sole purpose of hurting. Choking out another sob, you violently rubbed your itching eyes. When you pulled your hands back, your fingers were tinted in a black color, courtesy of your mascara. Not that you cared any longer.

Again, you hid your face in the crook of your arms. What an idiot you were! Not only had you completely overstepped boundaries no one should ever cross, you had also played directly into the hands of Shimamoto. Wasn't that exactly what she had hoped for when she had used this sugary voice of hers to spit out one poisoned word after the other? Hadn't you yourself pretty much done her a favor by provoking a quarrel with Takao? God, you felt so stupid. So completely and utterly stupid. And miserable. What you'd give to take back all the hurtful things you had thrown at your boyfriend without even giving him a chance to explain himself. You had been in such a wild rage, you hadn't even been able to think straight any longer. Not that you usually weren't emotional. You sure were. But never before had jealousy managed to turn you into a wrathful monster, which was ready to singe everything in its close vicinity with its fiery breath of anger.  
  
Your eyes were still squeezing out seemingly endless tears as you finally, emotionally and physically drained, drifted off into a restless sleep.  
  
There was an unpleasant buzzing, which tried to rip you from the blissful lull of sleep. You gave your best to ignore it, but once it finally stopped, it hardly took a couple of seconds before the sound started again. Feeling as though someone had crashed a sledge to your skull, you slowly opened your sticky eyes only to be met by sheer darkness. Giving a start, you threw back your head only to bump it into the hardwood of your door. A loud groan escaped your lips and dazedly, you blinked a few times, trying to orientate yourself. The moment you remembered why you were sitting propped up against your room door, with a sore throat and eyes that felt like lead, you wished you could've wallowed in the sweet ignorance of sleep for just a little bit longer.  
  
When the buzzing suddenly stopped and didn't start again, you sluggishly stretched out your arms and reached for your purse. Only when you pulled open the zipper did you realize just how much your hands were trembling. And that the black mascara blots were still sticking to your fingertips. However, you were too tired to care. Too exhausted.

When you swiped over the screen of your cellphone to unlock it, your darkened fingers left a messy stain on it, but really...you couldn't care less. What you did care about though were the little symbols and messages blinking all over your display. Your heartbeat swelled to an unpleasant thumping and immediately you felt tears springing to your eyes again. In the hour you apparently had been asleep, you had missed fifteen calls and ten text messages. A new surge of desperation washed over you like a tidal wave. Even though you had just woken up, this whole situation felt like a nightmare. A nightmare you couldn't wake up from. And, well, obviously you really couldn't. Because this was real. It wasn’t one of those bad dreams that plagued you once in a while. Those dreams where Takao told you he didn't love you anymore, or he found someone new who was better and more worthy than you, or those dreams in which a fight over something trivial ended in a particularly horrible breakup. In moments like those, you usually picked up your phone – no matter what time it was – to give our boyfriend a call and have him assure you he still loved you most in the world, and that there really wasn't another girl, and that no, you did not break up for some shady reason. But this time you couldn't just pick up your phone and ring him awake.  
  
You put the phone down and rested your head against the door, eyes closed. Why did it come to this? You really should've known better than to lash out like a fury. Now that you had some distance from it all, you realized that you hadn't only been stupid, but just _how_ stupid you had behaved. Of course Takao and you had had your little quarrels every once in a while. After all, it was natural for a couple that had started dating almost two years ago.

But up to now, the disputes between the two of you had never been as harsh as this. Never before had they escalated and made you feel as though you've reached the end of your time together. Because that was how you felt. As though this was it. As though these desperate feelings were the stairs to the summit of breakup. As though the current silence of your cell phone was the calm before the storm. You put your fists to your eyes in the vain attempt to stop the tears from flowing. You knew very well that you should at least show the decency of returning Takao's calls or answer his messages.

But you couldn't. You didn't feel brave enough to face whatever it was that was coming for you and him. You hadn't calmed down enough to hear his voice.  
  
Your head throbbed and your eyes stung. You didn't want to deal with this. You knew that it was your own fault for letting Shimamoto provoke you until you lost control of your own emotions. But you weren't yet ready to take responsibility for your fault. Not yet. No...not yet. As you kept repeating the words over and over again in your head, you could feel the gentle fingers of sleep reaching towards you, beckoning you to fall into his arms once more and leave behind the reality, even if only for a few more hours.  
  
However, those invisible fingers were slapped away as the sound of the doorbell suddenly rang through your dorm room.

You let out a little screech of surprise and leaped to your feet, looking at the closed door with a horrified expression. The echo of the first ring had not yet faded out, when the doorbell was rung again. This happened two more times before you finally, very tentatively, pressed the door opener to let the visitor in. Not that you had any doubts about who the person so vigorously ringing your doorbell was. And you were proved right when you slowly opened the door to your room and peeked into the entrance.  
  
Takao was stomping down the hallway with long, heavy footsteps, his expression distorted by anger. He had not even cared to take off his shoes, but was marching straight in the direction of your room at the far end of the hall.

For a moment, you contemplated shutting the door and blocking him out. Not because you were still enraged, but because you still didn't feel ready for what you by now firmly believed was coming. Again, tears were welling up in your eyes and when Takao finally reached your door and pushed his way inside, they were blurring your vision completely.  
  
Takao kicked the door shut behind him and stayed rooted to the spot for a few moments that to you felt like an agonizing eternity. He was breathing heavily and his eyes, which were flashing dangerously, were fixed on your face.

Unconsciously, you took a step back, but one of his hands shot out and got a hold of your wrist. His grip was tight and unyielding, but even in his anger, he made sure to be gentle enough to not hurt you.  
  
“Why are you ignoring my calls? That's not how you deal with problems. It's unfair!” He said in a loud, steady voice. As if to betray his steadfast look though, the hand which was clasped around your arm shook violently.  
  
“I-I feel asleep.” You replied, your voice completely void of the sharp edge from earlier but instead hardly more than a trembling sigh. “I'm sorry.”  
  
You used your free hand to wipe away the tears still pooling in your eyes, but it was to no avail. One tear after the other slid down your cheeks, which still felt hot and itchy.

For a moment, Takao's face seemed to soften and you could've sworn you saw his other hand twitch as if to reach out and wipe them away. But then, he seemed to remember his reason for stomping into your room so forcefully and his features once again hardened.

When he opened his mouth, he still sounded intense, but you could also hear something else. Was it...disappointment? Distress?  
  
“Why'd you say these things? That was really uncalled for, you know?” He paused for a few seconds and the tremble in his arm intensified. Swallowing brokenly, you stared at his fingers, unable to meet his gaze you could feel burning into you. Scorching you with its intensity. Eventually he added: “They hurt.”  
  
A pitiful sob escaped your throat and your eyes wandered from his hand to the ground. Of course your words had hurt. That had been your stupid intention. You bit your lower lip hard in order to fight back another sob that tried to claw its way to freedom from deep inside of you. When you were sure you had successfully suppressed it, you quietly said: “I'm sorry. I really am. It was just...seeing you and Shimamoto act so familiarly...it-it upset me. So, so much.”  
  
You heard a hollow laugh coming from Takao and from the corners of your eyes, you saw him run his free hand over his face. Very cautiously you peeked up again, but immediately wished you hadn't.

His eyes were still stony and there was a humorless smile plastered on his face, which not only looked, but also felt so very, very wrong.  
  
“You think it never happens to me?”  
  
“Eh?”  
  
Your eyes slightly widened as you heard his words and finally, you were able to fully return his gaze. His mien had not changed, but the tone of his voice had. You were now sure that what you'd perceived in his pitch before had been neither disappointment nor distress. It was exasperation.  
  
“You think I never get jealous?”, he practically shouted as he let go of your wrist to lift his arms in a sweeping gesture.  
  
Takao's gaze shifted from your face to one of his hands, which he alternately clenched and unclenched into a fist. He was completely lost in thought, his brow deeply furrowed and his lips pressed together tightly. Just as you were about to break the silence, he suddenly turned towards you again, a wild look in his eyes.  
  
“You think I don't get jealous when I see my teammates nudging each other and flexing their muscles when you come to watch us practicing? And what do you think I felt when you repeatedly met with this guy from one of your classes to study for the upcoming exam – over ice cream? Or when we went to your high school reunion last year and you kept on chatting with your high school crush for hours? And even today, when I wanted to give you our thumbs up after the third quarter, you weren't looking at me, but chatting with some guy next to you. You think all those things didn't, and don't upset me as well?”  
  
While listening to him, you mentally prepared yourself for shrugging off his words as nonsense, but the more you thought about them the more you understood...they weren't nonsense.

For the first time since you two started dating, he was openly admitting to his insecurities. And realizing that your boyfriend was not made of confidence and that his jokes and his boldness at times merely served the purpose of glossing over his unease made you feel like hitting your forehead into the wall. Hard. How could you have been so blind, no, so ignorant all this time? Of course he wasn't all happiness and sunshine. He was human, too. And the worst part about it was that he did have a point.

Up to now, you had never really thought about these situations, but now that you did mull them over, the scales fell from your eyes. You _had_ observed several of his teammates puffing up and stealing glances in your direction, but you had always laughed it off as good humor, as a way to tease Takao for acting like an excited grade schooler during a field trip whenever you found the time to watch them train.

And you _had_ noticed that sometimes Ueda-kun – your former study partner – would ask rather strange questions during your study sessions and repeatedly get off topic by inquiring about Takao and you. It dawned on you now that he had stopped asking you to study together only after you had proudly shown him the necklace your boyfriend had gifted you with on your first anniversary*.

Furthermore, you _had_ been chatting with your high school crush for that one whole evening, paying attention to Takao only when you introduced him to your friends and when it was time to leave.

And now that you thought about it really hard, as the buzzer that had ended the third quarter had sounded, the boy next to you _had_ diverted your attention for a few moments by apologizing for accidentally bumping his elbow into your upper arm.

You tightly clasped the hem of your shirt. You had been so stupid, so stupid and naïve. As you timidly returned Takao's gaze, the only thing you managed to croak out was a lame: “I'm sorry.”  
  
This time you really saw his eyes soften. He unclenched his hands and lifted one of his arms as if to to touch your face, but he stopped in midair and let it fall back down, once more probably remembering what had happened earlier. The memory of it made your cheeks flare up in shame.  
  
Seconds ticked by which felt like hours as the two of you stood opposite of each other, eyes full of regret and hearts full of sorrow. None of you said a word until you, very slowly and very tentatively, stretched out your trembling fingers.

The moment they made contact with his skin, Takao seemed to jolt out of his stupor. As if this small sign was all he had been waiting for, he hastily reached out his hands and pulled you into a tight embrace. Completely dumbfounded by this sudden action, you stiffened at the sensation, but slowly relaxed as he rested his head in the crook of your neck. His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin there pleasantly and you were unable to suppress the shaky sigh that escaped your lips.  
  
“Jealousy is evil, but you can't let it get you down. You know why it usually doesn't faze me in the way it happened to you, (F/N)-chan?”  
  
You weakly shook your head at his question.  
  
He pulled you in closer and in a voice that was barely more than a whisper said: “Because I love you. And loving a person means trusting that person. I know that you chose me and not some other of the team's players, or that study guy or whomever because you love me, too. There is a reason you fell in love with me just as there is a reason I fell in love with you, and a reason we're still crazy about each other. (F/N)-chan, don't you get it?”  
  
He pulled back a little, just enough to put his forehead to yours and continued: “You are my girl. There is no other, and there never will be. You are the girl I want to build a future with. Why would I be so stupid and throw away that future?”  
  
You blinked up at Takao and already you could see no more than a blurry silhouette of his handsome face. You didn't even try anymore to stifle the wave of sobs that almost instantly tumbled out of your mouth, or the flood of tears that rolled down your cheeks. Before long you were bawling like a toddler and in between hiccoughing sobs pressed out a broken: “I love you. So much.”  
  
Takao sighed deeply as he gently stroked your hair, the bitter smile from earlier finally replaced by his usual beaming one.  
  
“Haah, I know that, (F/N)-chan. And you should never doubt or forget that I feel the same way about you. And now come 'ere and let me smooch you, you silly girl!” He said on a little laugh, before he leaned down and first kissed away the tears that still fell freely and then pressed his lips to yours soundly. Their salty taste mixed and mingled with his own and soon you were too engrossed in your kiss to even remember crying.  
  
When you two reluctantly pulled back to gasp for air, Takao took your face in his hands and planted a little kiss on your hairline.  
  
“Although,” he suddenly mused and propped his chin at the top of your head, “I've got to admit...I do feel kind of flattered you got jealous.”  
  
You puffed out your cheeks and hid your blushing face in the crook of his neck.  
  
“Geez.”  
  
***

* I originally planned to write a chapter called “First Anniversary” in which Takao and the reader spend a day full of love and happiness, ending with Takao giving her a necklace. It somehow slipped my mind during my finals. I now feel like it's too late to still write it as too many things have happened already. I'm very sorry about it and will think of some other “first” to make up for it.


	7. First Vacation

“I'm done for. No more.”  
  
You plopped down on a tree stump next to the bus stop and tilted back your head. The evening breeze softly stroked your heated cheeks and you let out a content sigh, which rapidly turned into a hearty yawn.  
  
“Aw, come on, (F/N)-chan,” you heard Takao call out in a whiny tone as his rapid footsteps came closer before he finally skidded to a halt right next to you, “it's only nine o'clock.”  
  
“Only? Don't you rather mean already?”  
  
You slowly opened your lids and eyed your boyfriend, who was shifting from one foot to the other while glancing around excitedly, his eyes practically sparkling and the corners of his lips pulled up into a humongous, happy grin. You could feel your own lips twitch, but the incipient smile was nipped in the bud by another yawn.  
  
“No, no. Only, (F/N)-chan, _only_!” He said and stepped in front of your reclining form, taking your hands and softly trying to pull you to your feet again.  
  
Nuh-uh. Not a chance. Your legs were screaming to get some well-deserved rest and your head felt as light as a feather. While all the fresh air you've breathed today had you feeling utterly satisfied, you were also wiped. There was a limit to your stamina, because unlike Takao you were not used to running around several hours a week, just as you weren't part of one of Japan's top teams when it came to university basketball. Or any kind of sports in general. Not that you were completely useless when it came to moving your body, but apart from hiking or the occasional run – both of which were usually initiated by your boyfriend – you just didn't care much for it, and there was a simple reason for it: laziness.  
  
And for today, you really had reached your limit. All you wanted to do for the rest of the evening was turning on the TV while snuggling up to Takao and tuning out the world around you.  
  
When Takao's pulling became more vigorous and he simply decided to ignore your moans and groans of dissatisfaction, you knew it was time to bring out your secret weapon. There was no other way to calm down his overly excited body and mind, bursting to the brim with energy. So in one swift motion, you softly sank your fingertips in the flesh of Takao's hands, which were still clasping yours, and used the momentum to pull him closer to your face. As soon as the tip of his nose touched yours, he stilled. By the immediate shift in his mien, from excitement to slight unease, you straightaway knew you had won.  
  
“I'm sooo tired.” You breathed, tracing little circles on the heel of his hands with your thumbs.  
  
Takao swallowed audibly and you could've sworn that, from the corner of your eye, you saw a few beads of sweat trickle down his temples. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but when you put your lips to his chin and pressed a little kiss against it, he closed it again. This time, you were a hundred percent sure you saw a bead of sweat slowly making its way from his hairline to his neck.  
  
“You-you're playing dirty!” Takao suddenly exclaimed, trying to look away from your face, but unable to do so.

As if pulled by an invisible force, his gaze once again focused on your face and, unable to hold it in any longer, you let out a little snicker. Of course you were playing dirty. By now, you were dating him long enough to know that he was completely helpless against your puppy eyes. You've been fine-tuning the slight tilt of your head, accompanied by big helpless eyes and just a hint of a pout on your lips for years, after all.  
  
“It may be”, you therefore chirped and blinked your long lashed twice in rapid succession, “but it's working, isn't it?”  
  
You let out a bark of laughter as Takao pulled back his hands to run them through his hair and draw himself up to his full height, an adorable sulky expression plastered on his face.  
  
“Geez. You're such a meanie, (F/N)-chan. OK, fine. We'll take a cab to the hotel instead of walking. But,” he said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, “let's do just one more thing, okay? I don't want this day to end just yet. I mean, look at the stars. It's amazing how much more clearly you can see them here. Let's go stargazing on the riverbank of Kumoba pond. That's all I'm asking for. Pleeeease.“  
  
Now it was your turn to swallow audibly. Damn Takao and his very own puppy eyes. What kind of horrible human being would be able to say _no_ to such a pitiful, adorable expression?

Internally shaking a fist at the skies, you sighed heavily and finally gave in: “Yeah, fine. Just for a little bit though!”  
  
Trying your hardest to hide the smile that sneakily tried to steal on your face due to your boyfriend's whoops of joy, you stretched out your hands and let Takao pull you to your (still very tired) feet. As he happily dragged you along, practically bouncing up and down, you, in a not very convincing grumpy tone, murmured: “If I fall asleep, you better carry me back to the hotel room without complaint.”  
  
“Pfft. As you command, Your Highness.”  
  
With your fingers firmly interlocked, the two of you strolled along the narrow path leading to Kumoba pond. While the sun had been recklessly bathing the town of Karuizawa and its surroundings into a sea of heat all day long, the temperature had by now dropped significantly. It wasn't exactly cold, but still, a slight shiver ran through your body as the wind gently tugged at your hair. Scooting a little closer to Takao, you marveled at the sight of the trees around you, dipped in fiery reds and oranges by the setting sun. It was breathtaking.  
  
You sneaked a glance at Takao, who was softly swinging your arms and humming a low tune, which you believed to recognize as his favorite morning show opener. He seemed to notice that you were secretly observing him, because all of a sudden he turned his face in your direction and gave you one of those cheerful smiles, which never ceased to make your heart pound rapidly.

You almost laughed out loud. Sometimes it really amazed you just how lovey-dovey you two still were. You had watched countless friends and acquaintances of yours fall in and out of love, heard complain after complain about how at some point the excitement and passion from the beginning had turned into boring monotony rather sooner than later. Yet, even after more than two years of dating, you were not tired of Takao at all.

Actually, you felt that the more time you spent with them, the deeper your affection for him grew. It was mysterious, really, how he at times could still make you feel like that nervous, lovesick mess on your very first date. This time you actually let a little giggle escape your mouth, which caused Takao to raise one of his eyebrows.  
  
“Memories.” You merely said and switched from holding his hand to linking arms with him.  
  
As if he knew exactly what you were thinking about, he let out a little chuckle and with his free hand affectionately patted your head.  
  
Thinking yourself back to the (F/N) at that time, it was actually astonishing just how many things had happened since then. Had anybody told your university freshman self that you and Takao would go on your first vacation roughly two years later, you would have flipped them the bird.

But here you were. Not that it hadn't still come as a surprise when Takao had handed you an envelope with two shinkansen tickets to Karuizawa for the last September weekend at the day of your two-year anniversary a week ago. Being his carefree self, he hadn't taken the possibility that you might already have plans into consideration at all. So while he was happily packing his traveling bag on the very same day – apparently he was really looking forward to the trip – you had just as hastily as secretly canceled your plans to go to the amusement park with a group of friends from your high school days.  
  
Takao and you had arrived at Karuizawa's charming little station this morning at 10AM sharp and since then, you'd been in motion. Your luggage had barely touched the floor of your hotel room when Takao had ushered you outside already, bursting with a thirst for adventure and equipped with a tightly packed day's schedule.  
  
“After all,” he had said as he had hailed a cab that would take you downtown, “we need to make the most of our two days here.”  
  
So, ever since then, the two of you had visited countless tourist spots, from the Old Mikasa Hotel over Kumanokotai Shrine to the Shiraito Falls. You just hoped that tomorrow's agenda wasn't as rigid and fast-paced as today's. Then again, you thought as you sneaked another glance at Takao's face, he seemed so happy.

Ah well, if it meant you'd get to see this accomplished smile once more, you'd be fine. After all, you knew he had really put a lot of thought in the planning of this trip and you also knew that even though it may seem as though he was doing hardly more than rushing you from one place to another, he did it for you. He wanted you to experience as much as possible, because unlike him, it was your first time here. Takao had visited Karuizawa several times with his family while he was younger, following the trend of Tokyo's citizens to get away from the humid summer heat of the big city and seek refugee in the mountain resort's cool climate. So it was probably only natural that he wanted to acquaintance you with the region's many charms.  
  
Your thoughts were interrupted when Takao suddenly let go of your hand and exclaimed: “We're here!”  
  
He stretched out his arms in a sweeping gesture, a wide grin grazing his face. You had to blink several times in order to see anything in the shadowy dusk, but as soon as your eyes got used to the half-light, you let out a gasp of surprise.

You had expected a pond surrounded by large trees to be beautiful, but this...this exceeded your expectation. The surface of the pond shimmered in a gorgeous midnight blue, the steady ripple of soft waves reflecting the moon crescent as a silvery gemstone. The vivid green of the trees and bushes were dulled into the color of a dark moss agate, studded with the odd red, violet and white of late summer blossoms.  
  
“This is amazing!” You breathed and slowly stepped forward, mouth agape.  
  
“Isn't it?”  
  
You felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around you, stopping you from going any closer to the waterfront. For a moment, you closed your eyes, taking in the feeling of Takao's sturdy chest against your back and inhaled a sweet mixture of your boyfriend's smell you were so used to by now and the new, thick odor of Kumoba pond's greenery.

If you could have stopped time, you would have picked this moment to last forever. You couldn't really explain why, but everything about it felt simply perfect.  
  
But sadly, you were not able to make time stop and so the moment ended way too soon for your liking. Takao planted a kiss on top of your head and let go of you. Immediately, you felt a slight tremor rock your body, feeling the loss of his warmth.  
  
A little sigh left your mouth as you turned around to see what had caused Takao to break the spell of the moment. He was crouching on the ground next to you, rummaging around in his large backpack, a frown etched on his features. You eyed him curiously, waiting for an explanation, when he suddenly looked up and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“We're out of water.” He explained sullenly as he held up two empty plastic bottles and shook them, as if the sloshing around of the remaining droplets might change anything about that. “But there's a beverage dispenser about two minutes away from here. I'll go buy us some drinks.”  
  
He stuffed the empty bottles back into his backpack before standing up. A grin was tugging at the corners of your lips as you watched the frown on his face slowly turn into a pout. Takao was staring at his feet intently for a few moments, but turned his gaze to you as you burst out laughing.  
  
“Guess I'm not the only one who's tired, after all?” You said, making sure to sound as brazen as possible.  
  
“Meanie!”  
  
Takao stuck out his tongue, but you could've sworn you saw a smile creep on his face, and as he quickly turned around, you were sure you saw his shoulders shake slightly, as if rocked by a silent giggle. And sure enough, when he turned around again, he was once more wearing his buoyant grin.  
  
“I'll be back in five minutes. Make sure to...” He started, but you rolled your eyes and finished the sentence for him: “Stay safe. Have your cellphone on hand and remember the self-defense lessons I've been teaching you, just to be sure. I know, I know, Kazu. Now go and get me some oolong tea. I can take care of myself.”  
  
“I'm just worried.” He said as he leaned down to peck your lips.  
  
“I know, but I'm a big girl. I can be alone for five minutes.” You replied softly and as he finally turned around to head off, you couldn't resist and swiftly brought down your right hand to give him a hearty smack on his butt.  
  
Takao gave a jerk and shot a quick glance at you over his shoulder, a bright gleam in his eyes, and shouted: “I'll get you back for this later!!”  
  
You were still chuckling delightedly as you plopped down on the ground and pulled your legs in to sit cross-legged. Taking a deep breath of the crisp night air, you let your eyes roam the scenery before you once more. This really had been worth the extra twenty-minutes walk. Now all you needed to make this the perfect end to an exhausting, but satisfying day was the broad chest of your boyfriend you could lean into.  
  
When you heard footsteps behind you, you started humming softly and in a singsong voice said: “That was fast.”  
  
“Um, excuse me, miss?”  
  
You instinctively let out a high-pitched screech and scrambled to your feet.

_This is not Kazu_ , your mind unnecessarily shouted out as you whipped around sharply with a rapidly beating heart.

Your face must've looked like that of a madwoman, because the moment your eyes met those of the man in front of you, he stumbled two steps back. You were breathing heavily, as if you had just run a marathon and your eyes restlessly scanned the stranger in front of you, taking in every little detail, from the slightly graying sideburns to the visible laugh lines in his mouth area. Well, looking at him closely, he didn't really seem all that threatening, but just to be sure, you slightly balled your hands into fists and bended your knees a little bit, as Takao had taught you.  
  
“Ah, I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you.” The man said and brought up his hands, palms showing in your direction.  
  
Hm? That deep voice...there was something about it you couldn't quite put a finger on. It was as though you've heard it before, but only as a comforting background noise or something along these lines.

You felt your body relax slightly, but still kept your stance. Not saying a single word – mainly because you were afraid the pitch would give away that your heart was still beating frantically from the initial shock – you held his gaze, raising your head a little. Another thing Takao had taught you. Even if you were scared shitless, you had to evoke the illusion you were feeling confident and ready to fight back if worst came to worst.  
  
“Um, you're also staying at the Ancient Hotel, right? My name is Shimizu Madoka. My wife and I were on the same train as you and your boyfriend this morning, we were only sitting a few seats away.” He blurted out, still holding up his hands and a nervous smile on his face.  
  
Ohh, that's right! Now you realized why his voice had sounded strangely familiar. It really had been a kind of background noise on your two-hours ride to Karuizawa. As your breathing rhythm slowly returned to normal and the adrenaline rush ebbed away, thus enabling you to think more clearly, you were also able to recognize his friendly, chestnut-colored eyes. Yes, indeed. You had seen him on the train this morning, you just hadn't really paid all that much intention to him. You cautiously unclenched your hands, but were not yet brave enough to completely relax.  
  
“I recognize you.” You finally said slowly.  
  
An earnest smile appeared on his features as he nodded his head once. He, too, seemed to relax. Just as he opened his mouth to reply to your words, an alarmed cry reached your ears.  
  
“Oi! (F/N)-chan. What's going on? Are you OK?”  
  
Rapid, heavy footsteps resounded close to your still slightly crouched form and before you could even make out the direction of their pounding, you were pulled into a very strong and very familiar chest.

Takao's heart was throbbing wildly and as you looked up to catch a glimpse of his face, you could see that his features were chiseled into a stony mask, which was directed at the poor man in front of you. A wave of affection washed over you while at the same time you felt like smacking him upside the head. Of course, it was really sweet that he had appeared at your side not even a minute after you had let out your startled shout, but instead of listening to an explanation, or even waiting for you to answer his questions, he growled: “Stay away from her!”  
  
Immediately, Mr. Shimizu lifted his hands again, a distraught look on his face. You couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. This was, after all, the second time he had been mistaken for an attacker in the last minute. So you gently tugged at the collar of Takao's shirt to get his attention. But before you, or Mr. Shimizu, could explain the situation to him, another voice suddenly spoke up.  
  
“You should've waited until I was done packing up, Madoka, just as I told you. That's what you get for being so damn impatient!”  
  
Three heads whipped around simultaneously to take a look at the person who was approaching you with slow, confident steps. The woman came to a halt right next to Mr. Shimizu, put down the backpack she was carrying and lifted her head to give him a glance that said more than words would've been able to. Her eyebrows her raised, the lips set into a half-frown and the eyes flashing dangerously. Shooting him one last stern glance, she turned around to face Takao and you and bowed deeply.  
  
“I am terribly sorry for my husband's behavior. I told him to wait for me before approaching you, for obvious reasons (and here she shot him another sharp glance), but sometimes he's a bit thick-headed. I'm Shimizu Eri. We're staying at the same hotel so we thought it might be a good idea to lend you this if you intend to stay here longer. The nights tend to get very cold around here.” She said.  
  
By the time she was finished, your head was spinning. She had spoken with such speed that it had been quite hard to follow her, so when she held out a piece of cloth, you simply stared at her dumfounded. Your gaze shifted from her attentive eyes to the fabric in her hands and back to her face.  
  
“It's a blanket. You can give it back tomorrow.” She tried again and stretched her arms out further, because you and Takao were still staring at her quizzically.  
  
Both of you jolted out of your stupor at the same time and while you bowed deeply and reached for the blanket, saying “if it's no trouble to you”, Takao rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and murmured: “I am so sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. It was just...”  
  
Mr. Shimizu burst out laughing and shook his head vigorously.  
  
“Don't worry about it, son. With a pretty girl like her you ought to be cautious!” He said good-naturedly, causing your face to heat up instantly.  
  
“Exactly, exactly. And going on vacation with her is the best! I get to spend every minute of every day with my beloved (F/N)-chan!” Takao was quick to answer as he once more pulled you close to his chest.  
  
Your face practically ablaze now, you tried your hardest not to die of embarrassment as Takao and Mr. Shimizu started gushing over you and Mrs. Shimizu like pubescent teenagers. When you glanced up from the ground you caught the eyes of the woman in front of you and as the men kept chatting excitedly, the two of you shared a look of understanding.  
  
“So,” Mrs. Shimizu finally said in a loud voice and thereby put a stop to their talk, “I'm pretty sure Mr. Takao and Ms. (L/N) came here to go stargazing and not to be bothered by us two.”  
  
She ignored the words of apology coming from her husband as she pointed towards a path, which was barely visible through the thicket of the close-by group of trees, directing you to a perfect spot, so she promised, for your intended activity.

Once again, you thanked her for the blanket and after promising to meet for lunch the next day, you parted ways.  
  
A few minutes later, you snuggled up to your boyfriend, who had reclined comfortably on the blanket. He put an arm around your shoulder to pull you closer. Your eyes wandered from his handsome face to the starry sky above you as you rested your head on his chest.

When he spoke, you could feel the vibrations mingling with his the steady beat of his heart, eliciting a content smile from you.  
  
“Hey, (F/N)-chan, let's come back again next year.”


End file.
